This disclosure relates to a nuclear fuel composition for rendering the fuel inherently subcritical.
Compact nuclear reactors may be used in vehicles, such as aerospace vehicles, as a power plant to propel the vehicle and/or to run the vehicle operating systems. In the event of a vehicle accident, the reactor may lose coolant and become exposed to foreign materials, such as water, sand, or other substances. Under such conditions, current nuclear fissile fuels for thermal and epithermal reactors would be expected to reach nuclear criticality. The use of thermal and epithermal nuclear reactors in vehicles is therefore limited.